Intimal-medial thickness and carotid arteries lumen in irradiated patients for head and neck cancer: preliminary data of an observational study.
PMID 23463595 · Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2013 · DOI 10.1007/s12094-013-1023-3
Authors: M Faruolo; A Fiorentino; G Gallucci; L Lapadula; V Fusco
Abstract
To investigate the effect of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) the intimal-medial thickness (IMT) and the lumen of the carotid artery. Patients with HNC and an indication for EBRT were enrolled. A carotid artery color Doppler examination was performed before and 6 and 12 months after EBRT. From 2008 to 2011, 50 patients were enrolled. The mean carotid IMT was 0.9 vs. 1.02 mm before and 6 months after EBRT, respectively (p = 0.0001). The common carotid artery lumen was narrowed without statistical significance, 6 months after EBRT (p = 0.3). 1 year from EBRT, the IMT increase and the lumen reduction were statistically significant (p = 0.001, p = 0.01, respectively). Neurological events (stroke or TIA) were not observed. Our data showed a significant IMT increase 6 months from EBRT without a corresponding narrowing of the common carotid lumen while a significant increase 12 months after EBRT.
Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Carotid Arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Observational Studies as Topic; Prognosis; Radiation Injuries; Risk Factors; Tunica Media; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
Cite
M Faruolo; A Fiorentino; G Gallucci; L Lapadula; V Fusco. Intimal-medial thickness and carotid arteries lumen in irradiated patients for head and neck cancer: preliminary data of an observational study. Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico (2013). PMID 23463595. DOI 10.1007/s12094-013-1023-3.